Date: 13th March 2013 on a DHOW with 450 Cows, 2 goats, and 13 Indian crew, and poor Elayne the only women on-board…..for 4 ½ days.

The excitement of leaving the Berbera Port Somaliland late at night on an beautifully painted Indian Dhow to cross the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea was every adventures dream…….well I would not say every adventure…Elayne was not happy contemplating all the men and just one woman onboard this Dhow, but there was nothing else I could do …and our passage on the Dhow was free….yes free. We only paid the Port fees and crane one lift for Victor, a total of USD$100.00. In 2013 a trip carrying you and your car for 4 ½ days at sea including food and shelter for USD$100.00 is pretty good value.

If you change a Hundred Usd into Somaliland schillings …you will need a wheelbarrow to carry the paper notes (well nearly)….lol…its true. Largest Somaliland note Som sch 500 around Usd.015

Thanking the Owner Mr Abdilgadir Hashi Elmi For his gracious offer for us to stay at the relaxing Maan-soor Hotel Berbera. The previous Hotel policy ‘’No-camping inside the Hotel ground’’ ( at Hergeisa and Berbera has now changed. Overlanders like us are welcome to take refugee inside the grounds as long as we eat the food on their great menu …..as we did every day…just great, and respect all other Hotels facilities. PLEASE GO IF YOU ARE IN Somaliland it was just great to visit people which have not been contaminated by over tourisum.

It’s safe and happy just visit Somaliland and meet and see some wonderful people. Please check out www.maan-soor.com

Elayne pulls out our old Chinese camping chairs as we sit and take in the surroundings in peace around eighty kilometres from Addis. Victor nestles under some eucalypt trees at Ehto German Camp at 2513mtrs above sea level watching hooded vultures soaring across the open valley as several dust devils whirl below racing across the valley floor, the cool breeze soothing.

We had just set up camp enjoying our escape from the outside world when 20 minutes later 50-60 small trucks and cars began to arrive it was the noisiest hooting precession we have ever heard. Yes this beautiful valley view was a favourite place to bring newly weds. More and more cars arrived the noise was amazing the clapping and chanting resembling some International Soccer match. Dozens of well lubricated men start heading for bushes urinating and defecating around us, our peace had disappeared.

Elayne not sure which way to point her Chinese camping chair. We laugh at our demise what else could we do except look up above and watch the Hooded Vultures soar higher and higher. Eventually peace once again returned the clapping shouting hooting procession heads off, peace returns.

I am pretty stuffed after a pretty intense drive only a few hundred kilometres from our last camp…but these are not normal kilometres.

If you have driven in Ethiopia then you will understand what it can be like. Donkeys, Donkey Carts, (as wide as trucks and some stacked has high as hay stacks) Horses, Camels, sheep, goats, Trucks loaded to the gunwales flapping cases slap in your ears as you try and weave your way up the mountain roads passing convoys, Thousands of Tuk Tuk’s, weaving constantly from side to side their occupants waving franticly to gain our attention as Victor inches past. Similes burst in to delight as we return their hospitable wave…….waving their hands for us to stop their driver opens his throttle fully trying to board us like some pirate boat drawing alongside inches away, waving and smiling constantly……..shouting where are you from…….Australia I reply……they laugh and wave repeating ….Australia, as Victor finally breaks free and finds some open road.

Ethiopia is just endless people ….in fact it feels as if the whole population of eighty –five million Ethiopian’s are walking in either direction on the road we have chosen to head south to Addis.